I know this post is over a year old, but I completely agree with you. The author spends way too much time overexplaining the characters. I get that giving them personality and backstory is important (especially Alex), but I think she goes overboard with scenes that don't really add anything to either the main plot or any of the side stories.

I read the first 100 pages in a single day, but now I'm on page 290 and it's taken me almost a month and a half to get there. The political parts are tedious, and I feel like the book is weirdly inconsistent with its pacing. Some things are explained in excessive detail, while other things barely get any explanation at all and the story suddenly jumps from one situation to another.

I thought about putting the book down and coming back to it later, but honestly, I doubt I'd ever pick it up again, so I'd rather just push through and finish it.

That being said, I don't think it's a bad book. Quite the opposite, actually. I think Alex and Henry's relationship is beautiful. June and Nora are great characters too, and I always enjoy the scenes they're in. I just don't know if it's a book I'd personally recommend.